The San Antonio Spurs will be back in action tonight to play the second leg of a back-to-back against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Silver and Black enter his game coming off a solid 123-113 over the Indiana Pacers last night. This was San Antonio’s first win since their star center, Victor Wembanyama, injured his left knee against New York.

De’Aaron Fox led the scoring for the storied franchise, putting up a 24-point performance to guide his team past last year’s finalists. Nonetheless, while the Spurs were able to get the job done yesterday, with this being the second night of a back-to-back, they could use some reinforcement for their tired legs. So, will Wembanyama return to the court tonight?

Is Victor Wembanyama playing tonight against the Trail Blazers?

The seven-foot-four big man won’t be playing yet again tonight. Of course, this comes as a result of him dealing with the knee hyperextension that he suffered during Wednesday’s win. While the MRI results reportedly showed no ligament damage, Victor Wembanyama stayed back in San Antonio to rehabilitate the injury.

According to Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, the center, even though he has avoided a massive setback, is still day-to-day and can return to the court after just missing a single game. However, he won’t tonight. Nonetheless, while there’s no doubt that San Antonio is a better team with him, they haven’t really struggled without him on the court.

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The Spurs are 10-3 this season without the 21-year-old, which goes to show that they aren’t a one-man team. So, there’s probably no reason to rush Victor Wembanyama’s comeback. Nonetheless, while he remains out, there are a few other players as well who the franchise will definitely miss during their home game tonight.

The Spurs vs the Trail Blazers injury reports for January 3rd

Here’s the latest update on the rest of the players from both teams ahead of tonight’s matchup:

San Antonio Spurs injury report

The Spurs only have one other player on their injury report apart from Victor Wembanyama: Devin Vassell, who has been ruled out of tonight’s matchup.

The 25-year-old guard, who has been a key player for the Silver and Black, has been dealing with a left adductor issue and will miss tonight’s game because of the same.

So far, he’s averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists and has emerged as a dependable member of the roster. However, injuries have halted his progress, but the good news is that he might be back on the court after tonight’s matchup, as he was previously tipped to return within the next two games. That’s all for the Spurs, but about their opponents?

Portland Trail Blazers injury report

As for the Trail Blazers, they are quite hard hit with injuries. Tonight, they’ll enter this matchup without the likes of Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, and several others. While Henderson is dealing with a hamstring injury, Holiday will miss tonight’s game because of a calf injury. Although these two absences alone are quite daunting for Portland, unfortunately, there’s more.

That’s because Jerami Grant and Matisse Thybulle will also be joining those two on the sidelines. Grant, who’s a key member of the team and has been averaging a solid 20 points and 4 rebounds per game, will not suit up tonight because of an Achilles injury. Meanwhile, Thybulle is suffering from a right knee tendinopathy injury.

However, the organization’s injury troubles don’t even end there. Blake Wesley is also ruled out for this game because of a foot injury for which he recently underwent surgery. Lastly, Portland’s newest acquisition, Damian Lillard, also remains on the sidelines as he continues to recover from an Achilles injury. So, will these injuries impact Portland’s starting five?

Predicted lineups for the Spurs vs the Trail Blazers

Here’s how the San Antonio Spurs could start without Victor Wembanyama:

And here’s how the Portland Trail Blazers’ starting five could look amid their injury issues:

All in all, this fixture has all the makings of a great matchup despite the Trail Blazers being injury-riddled. In fact, things have gotten even more interesting with Victor Wembanyama not playing, as it has brought both teams further on equal terms. So, this should be a great watch as we await tip-off.